I am a Tombstone Tourist: someone who loves to wander cemeteries. I find it akin to visiting a museum: an opportunity to enjoy rarely seen sculpture, intricate carvings, and amazing architecture, all in a tranquil outdoor setting. This blog is about cemetery culture, art, history, issues of death, and genealogy - subjects of current relevance. I usually find something that intrigues me and makes me want to dig deeper. Care to join me? Read on...

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Daffodils in the Cemetery

It is spring – the season of the daffodil! Known by many names including narcissus, jonquil, paperwhites, and Lenten lily – the daffodil is the harbinger of warmer weather. Daffodils come in a variety of colors, yellow, white, green, pink, red, orange and some interesting variations. The small bulbs are planted in the autumn and are native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales.

Daffodils are a favorite cemetery flower, etched on stones and found growing throughout graveyards. One variety, known as Twin Sisters or Cemetery Ladies, can be found in many older cemeteries throughout the country, originally planted by family members as a living tribute to their loved ones.

Old City Cemetery located in Lynchburg, Virginia, http://www.gravegarden.org/ is known as the oldest continuously operated public cemetery in that state, established in 1806. This cemetery has a large collection of antique daffodils and is highly regarded for maintaining their daffodils collections throughout the years.

Willowbrook Cemetery in Westport, Connecticut http://www.willowbrookcemetery.com is planting daffodils each year in order to create ‘Daffodil Mile.’ So far over 9-thousand bulbs have been planted from donor contributions.

Cemetery daffodils symbolize grace, beauty, deep regard, mortality, the death of a youth, new beginnings, innocence and unrequited love, making them very popular as part of the silent language depicted on stones.

Poet William Wordsworth wrote an ode to daffodils in 1804. Known as one of his most famous poems, it was inspired by a walk he took with his sister in 1802.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a Cloud

That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd

A host of dancing Daffodils;

Along the Lake, beneath the trees,

Ten thousand dancing in the breeze.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Outdid the sparkling waves in glee: --

A poet could not but be gay

In such a laughing company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude,

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the Daffodils.

Now off to ‘dance with the Daffodils’ in our tiny rural cemetery, just up the road. Enjoy your weekend!

About Me

I
love wine and will take any chance to sip, savor and share it! Hence, Joy’s JOY
of Wine http://joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com,
a weekly blog about all things wine. I've been in the industry for 15
years as a winery owner, marketing director, speaker, writer, wine judge, and
100% vino girl!

I'm
also a professional freelance magazine and book writer uncorking articles about
wine, food, history, travel, cemetery history and culture. My interest in
cemetery culture led to another great, or maybe I should say
"grave" gig, my weekly blog: A Grave Interest http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com where I get to travel around the country and speak about cemetery topics for genealogy, history and
education conferences.

I suppose you could say that wine is my
passion, and cemeteries are my diversion ... into another world.

Amazon Tombstone Tourists Ideas

Subscribe To A Grave Interest

The contents of this site may NOT be used for commercial purposes without explicit written permission from the author and blog owner, Joy Neighbors. All photos are the property of Joy Neighbors and may not be used for financial gain of ANY kind.